LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Men's Lacrosse head coach
Liam Gleason is a 2007 alumnus of UAlbany, where he played there throughout a 28-game career and then served one of the most successful tenures there as associate head coach with a combined seven NCAA Tournament appearances between the Great Danes associate head coaching spot and as a prior assistant coach with Siena.
Now, the MAAC Coach of the Year and his champion Saints will get to face off against the Great Danes in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. from Bob Ford Field at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium.
The winner will face No. 1 Cornell (14-1) in the NCAA Second Round Sunday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, New York.
This is the fourth NCAA appearance for the Saints, who also won MAAC titles in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2025.
On Saturday, Siena (11-4) was crowned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champions for the fourth time in program history with a 12-8 victory over host and top seed and then #16/#19 Sacred Heart on Campus Field.
Andrew Arcuri starred, making 15 saves in goal and was named the MAAC Tournament Most's Valuable Player while
Conor Hufnagel (two goals, three ground balls),
Pratt Reynolds (five goals) and
Ryan McCarthy (five assists, three ground balls) as well as Arcuri were all named to the All-MAAC Tournament Team.
Siena extended its win streak to nine, the longest winning streak it has had since a stretch from March 21, 2009 through May 3, 2009, in which the team won 10 straight games.
The third-seeded Great Danes (9-8) won their 11
th America East Championship and second consecutive title with a 12-7 victory against top seed Bryant in Smithfield, Rhode Island on Saturday. UAlbany had a shutout in the first half and had a stout defensive performance from goalkeeper Brady Smith, who made 13 saves and earned himself the AE Most Outstanding Player award.
Silas Richmond (three goals, one assist), Jacob Smith (three ground balls), Max Neeson (caused two turnovers) and B. Smith were all named to the All-Championship Team.
The Saints' crosstown rival Great Danes, whose campuses are only separated by five miles, will meet for the 40th time including the first time in the postseason.
UAlbany leads the all-time series 28-11 with the Great Danes defeating the Saints 11-7 in their last match up in 2022.
Siena's previous NCAA appearances were a 9-8 loss against #19 Bryant in the NCAA Tournament Opening Round, a 10-4 defeat against #1 Syracuse in the First Round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and an 11-4 defeat to #2 Syracuse in the First Round of the 2009 Tournament.
UAlbany is 7-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
